Lawyer: Marmol innocent of abuse accusation

A lawyer for Carlos Marmol said Thursday that the Chicago Cubs closer is innocent of an abuse accusation made by attorneys for a 24-year-old woman in the Dominican Republic.

Miledys Mejia Cepeda filed a criminal complaint against Marmol, as detailed by the Dominican newspaper website ListinDiario.com. No police charges apparently have been filed.

Nelson Pimentel, Marmol's attorney, denied the allegation and told the Tribune he has filed a counter complaint, accusing the woman of trying to extort and blackmail Marmol.

“Carlos Marmol is totally innocent of the things he is accused of. They never occurred. She is only trying to get money out of Carlos Marmol,” Pimentel said. “It is very important for us to say the legal case against him is not true.”

Pimentel said the accuser and Marmol both hail from the area of Sonador and Bonao, about 100 miles northwest of the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo.

Cubs president Theo Epstein was unavailable for comment. Marmol's agent did not return messages.